How to get an electrical licence in NSW

Getting an electrician licence in NSW is a major milestone in the journey to becoming a licensed electrician and running your own electrician business in Australia’s most populous state. In fact, you will need to obtain one of three available NSW electrician licences if you intend to build a career as an electrician in NSW.

Which NSW electrical licence will best suit you?

There are three different electrical licences and electrician certifications available in NSW. The electrician licence requirements can vary quite a lot across the three electrician licence types. Each has its own requirements and permissions for what types of electrical trade work the holder can and can’t do, as follows.

1. A NSW contractor licence

This electrical licence allows the holder to advertise their plumbing services and contract to do electrical work. You can only do the work types that are noted on your licence card.

Contractor licences can be issued to individuals, but they can also be granted to partnerships and companies. NSW contractor licences are available for one-year, three-year, or five-year terms. This type of qualification may sometimes be referred to as an electrician training licence or an electrician’s apprentice licence.

2. A NSW qualified supervisor certificate

A qualified supervisor certificate permits the holder to supervise electrical work and do the work described on the certificate. This type of NSW electrical licence is only available to individuals.

This NSW electrical qualification is only for individuals. Importantly, it’s worth noting that holding a qualified supervisor certificate does not permit the holder to contract for work. This electrical licence is available for one-year, three-year, or five-year terms.

3. A NSW endorsed contractor licence

This type of NSW electrical licence is only available to individuals. If you apply for and obtain a contractor license and you also have the experience, skills, and qualifications required to be a qualified supervisor, then the NSW endorsed contractor licence could be a good fit for you.

Are you eligible for a NSW electrical licence?

Before getting ahead of yourself and applying for a NSW electrical licence, it’s important to check that you meet the eligibility requirements listed below.

• Are you at least 18 years old?
• Are you physically fit for the purposes of the licence?
• Do you hold the mandatory qualifications and on the job experience as specified to work as a plumber in NSW?
• You are not a debtor to NSW Fair Trading or the Administration Corporation.
• You don’t hold any authority which is currently suspended or have had an unreasonable number of complaints, penalties or cautions against you.
• You have not performed work that has been subject to an unreasonable amount of insurance claims.
• You can provide details of the required insurance under the Home Building Compensation Fund.

Applying for your NSW electrical licence

Now that you’ve got all your required documents together, it’s time to go and lodge your application for your NSW electrical licence. This must be done in person at Service NSW branch.  Make sure you have the following with you when you apply with Service NSW:

• Your application form (individual).
• The correct application checklist (specialist work checklist, general building work checklist, or other building work and trade work checklist.
• Supplementary forms and details (determined by which electrical licence you are applying for).

If applicable, it’s also a good idea to bring the following with you to Service NSW when you submit your application for your NSW electrician licence:

• A passport sized photo of yourself.
• Proof of identity.
• Your employment history as well as details about your plumbing industry experience.
• An original copy of your electrical or trade qualifications, such as your certificate.
• Details about past compliance issues, insolvency matters, or criminal offences (if applicable)
• Details of current or past electrician licences or certificates that you hold.

Once you obtain your selected electrical licence and start operating an electrician business, moving forward you can add additional supplementary qualifications to your licence as you develop as an electrical trade professional.

As you gain more qualifications that allow you to do more types of work, such as other building work, trade work or specialist work, you can apply to add a category to your individual contractor’s licence and/or your qualified supervisor’s certificate.

While you’re hard at it gaining your electrical licence in NSW, one thing you won’t have to work hard at once you become a licensed electrician in NSW is getting your electrician insurance – provided you choose BizCover for your business insurance. We make it easier than ever to obtain business insurance for licensed electricians in NSW. Go online for your business insurance or give us a call 1300 920 864 to see how we can help protect your sole trading business.